Everyone knows about COVID-19 impact on everyone’s life, and children had less effectiveness as compared to adults. But no one knows about the long term impact or late effect of COVID-19 on children.

Today, we discuss all such issues that children face after effects/ side effects of COVID on children. as we all know that children are the foundation of the future of our country and if they will suffer then our future will also suffer. COVID is a pandemic for 2 years and it has affected a lot physically and mentally to everyone.

I have gone through a number of cases during this period at my clinic. It’s my personal experience that I am going to share as an article. I treated a number of children who are suffering in different ways from COVID and I am sharing a few out of all

1) I treated a small girl who sits for a long time on her knees and watches youtube videos the whole day long and now her legs are getting shaped into genu valgus and it is affecting her walking.

2) Same ways I also met a girl who put on huge weight in early adolescence and this is giving her pain in multiple joints, especially back pain

3) Next I saw a boy who used a laptop or phone the whole day long in the same sitting posture without any physical activity and had legs and back pain. He has weight more than an adult weight.

4) I also treated a 10 years old boy who came to me for neck pain and kyphotic posture and the reason was the same – the use of the phone for a long time.

5) One more case of headache in children because of long screen time and stress of isolation at home. He had no extracurricular activity and no playgroup. There is a huge number of cases with multiple reasons and causes which affected the children a lot. Symptoms may be different but the causing factor is one and only COVID period.

It is worrisome about children’s health because if we go through the data of recent musculoskeletal injuries or pain then It is found more common in adults. One or two decades back, the age group for musculoskeletal injuries was 50 years old and above.

Nowadays it is more common in the young generation as compared to old age people who are more active. But since the pandemic started, the effect of COVID 19 on children also started appearing gradually. what will happen to them in future if their health is affected drastically(no extracurricular activity, long screen time). They will be having degenerative changes in the very early phase of their lives if their lifestyles will remain the same.
In my clinical experience, I have seen such cases and I shared a few of them.

Book A Consultation With Best Female Physiotherapist in Gurgaon, Dr Neetu Rathi – Click Here 

Effect of COVID 19 on children

• Obesity: Obesity is a common, serious, and chronic disease. Having obesity puts people at risk for many other serious chronic diseases. children spent their maximum time at home during these 2 years and they had minimal or no extracurricular or outdoor activities. Pandemic changed their body clock as they had no timetable for sleeping, eating, playing etc. This turned them into obese.

• Diabetes: lack of physical activities and junk food has turned the kids into obese and diabetic or prediabetic in childhood.

• poor immunity: children stayed at home and they had no exposure to social/ external environments and this turned them into poor immunity. Babies who were born during this period suffered a lot as compared to elder ones.

• Delayed milestones: children who were born during this pandemic or just before that or the children who had no exposure to a social environment and just spent their time with their nuclear families are also suffering from delayed milestones like delayed speech and walking. They are afraid when they meet others. It’s like a phobia of crowds.

• Body ache: children are suffering from multiple joint pain because of lack of nutrients and exposure to sunlight. They also spend their maximum time in front of a laptop or on phone for studies or playing games. This has started giving them neck pain, back pain or multiple joint pain. They also suffer from stiffness and lack of flexibility.

• Psychological behaviour: Closure of schools, lack of extracurricular and outdoor activities, altered eating and sleeping habits, and lack of peer time have fostered monotony, anguish, irritation, and diverse neuro-psychiatric behaviour.

• Lack of confidence: lack of extracurricular activities and isolation at home has turned the children into lack of confidence.

• Postural changes: this is the most adverse effect on children physically. Inappropriate posture during study or using a laptop or phone has incorporated abnormal posture in children. This has created upper cross syndrome or lower cross syndrome. Also, a lack of stamina and endurance has also been noted.

• Weak Eye sides: during the last two years it has been seen that the number of cases of weak eye sides is increased.

• Effect on the study: it is also one problem with families who could not afford laptops or phones and internet for study and ultimately it affected their studies for 2 years.

Precautions:

1) Parents need to give ample time to children. Play with them and spend time with the children.
2) Fix screen time. Don’t let your children to spend more than 1-2 hrs on screen in a day.
3) Engage them in extracurricular activities or outdoor games.
4) Give them healthy food and avoid junk food.
5) Avoid static or the same posture for a long duration. Ask them to get up from their seats and move around after every half an hour.
6) Drink 3-4 litres of water.